Wire twister



March 27, 1962 c. H. JONES ETAL 3,026,915

WIRE TWISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 1, 1958 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. CEc/L h. J'o/vEs BY V/cToR R.JTEN6ER ATTORNEYS March 27, 1962c. H. JONES ETAL 3,026,915

WIRE TWISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 1, 1958 INVENTOR. CECIL h.Jb/vsa BY l/ICTOR RJTENGER fimflolixw United States Fatent @fiice3,026915 WIRE TWISTER Cecil H. Jones, Mankato, and Victor R. Stenger,Lake Crystal, Minm, assignors to Kato Engineering Company, Manlrato,Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Oct. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 764,703 9Claims. (Cl. 140-119) This invention relates generally to apparatus fortwisting the ends of wires together, and although not limited thereto,the invention will find particular utility in electrical work,especially in the winding of motors and generators Where the ends ofindividual coils must be joined together.

One important object of the invention is to provide a wire twister thatwill first grip a plurality of Wire ends in a vise-like manner, andwhich will then forcibly twist these ends into a tight, compact unit orjoint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire twister that iscapable of successively twisting wires of different sizes without theneed of any adjustment on the part of the user. In other words if agroup of wires is one gauge, the next group to be twisted need not be ofthe same diameter.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the foregoingcharacter in which the twisting action automatically follows the wiregripping operation. By the same token, it is an aim of the invention toeifect an automatic release of the twisted wires when the twistingoperation is terminated.

A still further object is to allow the operator to control the amount oftorque being applied to the Wires during a twisting operation.

Still another object of the invention is to permit as many twists orturns to occur as are needed to effect a good joint.

Another object is to provide a wire twister that can be driven byvarious types of power equipment usually found in factories, suchas'flexible shafts, drill motors, and the like.

Yet another object of large scale adoption thereof can be expected.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for theirattainment will be more apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not confined .to the exact featuresshown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken in the direction of line1-1 of FIGURE 2, the view showing our wire twister in actual use butdevoid of any power drive or holding device;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG- URE 2, but depictingthe wire gripping jaws in their release position;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of our wire twister as it appears in FIGURE1, but with a flexible cable drive added;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of our wire twister together with aholding device therefor, a portion of the holding device being brokenaway;

the invention is that it is very, light in weightso that it can behandled readily by women operators, small so that it can be carriedinordinary tool kits, and inexpensive to manufacture so that EfifihfliiiPatented Mar. 27, 1962 FIGURE 6 is an end view taken from the right inFIGURE 5; and

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a jaw control means of slightly modifiedconstruction.

Referring now in detail to- FIGURE 1, the apparatus there exemplifyingour invention has been generally designated by the letter A andcomprises an arbor in the form of a rotatable sleeve 10 internallythreaded at 12 for attachment to a drive member. The opposite end of thesleeve 10 is formed with a radially directed flange 14 havingperipherally attached thereto a cylindrical skirt 16. Thus, it will bediscerned that the arbor is cup-shaped at its right end.

By means of pins 18 a pair of cooperable jaw members 20 are pivotallysupported or carried on the radial flange 14, these jaw members havingopposed wire gripping faces at 22. Although the respective reasonstherefor will become clearer as the description progresses, the jawmembers 20 are notched at their outer edges so as to form a cam engaginglobe at 24 and an abrupt shoulder stop at 26.

Circumscribing the skirt 16 is a cylindrical shell 28 having an inwardlydirected radial flange 3!} which supports an integral wire guide 32, thewire guide being formed with a tapered bore or passage 34. A quartersection finishing ring 35, preferably of suitable plastic material, ispress fitted onto the outer circumference of the guide 32. An annularretaining plate 36 is formed with a cylindrical skirt 38 innerjacent itsouter periphery, this skirt being telescopically received in the leftend of the shell 28. A pair of flat head screws 40 hold the shell 28 andplate 36 together as a unit. Through the agency of a collar 42, also ofsuitable plastic such as nylon a retaining ring and thrust bearing isfurnished for the assemblage composed of the plate 36 and the shell 28together with the flange 30 and guide 32. A screw 44- fixedly connectsthe collar 42 to the sleeve Ill of the together with the jaw membersZtl, are rotatable in unison relative to the shell 28 and its associatedparts consisting of the flange 30, guide 32 and plate 36.

Mounted on the flange fill so as to be rotatable therewith .is a pair ofcams 46. These cams are held fast by a pair of screws 48. Each cam has aflat side so as to be engageable with one of the lobes 24, and a secondflat side 52 extending at right angles thereto which is 7 thereto sothat free relative movement can result.

For the purpose of biasing the sleeve 10 in a rotative directionrelative to the shell 28 so as to cause normal engagement of theshoulders 26 of the jaws Ztl with the sides of the cams 46, a flatspiral spring 54 is employed. The outer end of the spring 54 is loopedso as to engage and be anchored by a pin 56 threaded into the plate 36,whereas the inner end of this spring merely projects into the bore ofthe sleeve 10 through a slot 58 provided for the express purpose ofanchoring this particular end. Consequently, the biasing action suppliedby the spring 54 is instrumental in normally moving the flange 14 andskirt 16 clockwise relative to both the shell 28 and its flange 39 so asto cause the jaw members 20 to engage the earns 46 as illustrated inFIGURE 3. Such action effects a separation of the opposed gripping faces22 as can be easily seen from an inspection of this figure.

Before describing a special holding device denoted generally by theletter B in FIGURES 5 and 6, it will be helpful at this time to explainhow the wire twisting apparatus A functions. Therefore, attention isdirected to FIGURE 4 where the wire twister A is shown with a flexibleshaft or cable 60 drivingly attached thereto through the medium of acoupling member 62. The member 62 is permanently secured to the shaft orcable 60 and is threaded in order that it may engage the threads 12 ofthe sleeve 10 to provide a necessary driving connection. Freelyencircling the cable 60 adjacent the coupling member 62 is a sleevebearing 64 that may be held in the operators hand while the cable 60 isrotating therein. The bearing 64 is held captive by a retaining ring 66and a pin 68 passing through the cable. It is believed that anunderstanding of this arrangement is facilitated by depicting the sleevebearing 64 and the ring 66 in section.

Solely for the sake of illustration, we will assume that a portion of amotor stator 70 appears in FIGURE 4 having a plurality of wire ends 72a,72b, 72c, and 72d which are to be connected by twisting prior tosoldering. The wire ends 72a and 7211, as shown, and the wire ends 72cand 72d are about to be twisted.

With the operator holding the sleeve bearing 64 in his hand, it will beunderstood that the entire apparatus A is free to rotate relativethereto. At this stage the spring 54 eflects an opening or separation ofthe gripping faces 22 belonging to the jaws 20, owing to the biasingaction already mentioned.

With the jaw members 20 open the wire ends 720 and 72d can be easilyinserted between the jaws, the tapered bore 34 of the guide assisting indirecting the wires. When inserted to the extent depicted in FIGURE 1,the operator manually brakes the shell 28 with his hand. In actualpractice the shell 28 and the peripheral edge of the plate 36 wouldpreferably be overlaid with wood (maple, for instance), plasticmaterial, aluminum or the like in order to present a smooth surface tobe frictionally engaged by ones palm.

From the direction of rotation indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 2, itcan be appreciated that the above-mentioned braking action will producea relative retardation of the cams 46 with respect to the jaws 20. Thisis by reason of the fact that the cams 46 are mounted on the flange 30,which is of course integral with said shell 28. Stated somewhatdifferently, the sleeve 10 and its associated flange 14 comprise onesupporting means, this supporting means carrying the jaws 20, whereasthe shell 28 and its associated flange 30 amount to a second supportingmeans that is rotatable or movable on said first supporting means.

At any rate, the cam edges 50 bear against the lobes 24, thereby urgingthe jaw members 20 from their open position of FIGURE 3 to their closedposition of FIG- URE 2. The wire ends 720 and 72d having been insertedbetween the jaw faces 22, this course of events results in a tightclamping of said wire ends. Actually, the degree of clamping or grippingis readily controlled by the amount of braking force applied by theoperator.

After the braking force has been applied so as to cause pivoting of thejaw members 20 toward each other, this braking force can be continued atan appropriate value until a suflicient number of twists has beenimparted to the wire ends 72c and 72d. The operator is the sole judge ofthis. When the desired amount of twist has been realized, the operatorsimply relaxes his drag on the shell 28. Under the biasing action of thespring 54, the shell 28 literally catches up to the sleeve 10, havingbeen angularly displaced in a clockwise direction (FIGURE 2) by thehereinbefore mentioned frictional drag. Although the pressural actionbeing applied via the cams 46 is quickly removed, the engagement of theshoulders 26 by the cam sides 52 produces a positive opening action thatassures return of the jaws 20 to the position depicted in FIGURE 3.

While the foregoing operation has been concerned with the directapplication of braking pressure by a persons hand, it is within thepurview of the invention to utilize the holding device B pictured inFIGURES 5 and 6 for applying an indirect braking action. From theseviews it can be seen that the body of the device B includes a handlegrip 74 and an integral sleeve 76 for receiving the sleeve 10. Althoughthe same collar 42 can be used, to avoid confusion a collar 78 is hereemployed, a set screw 80 holding this collar in place On the sleeve 10.In this way the entire apparatus A is free to rotate relative theholding device B.

The holding device B further includes an arcuate brake shoe 82 having alining 84 of suitable material, such as plastic or asbestos. Through theagency of a clevis type end composed of a pair of cars 36 and a pin 33,the arm 89 of the shoe 82 is pivotally connected to the handle 74, thehandle being recessed for the accommodation of these ears 86.

Projecting from the handle 74 is a pair of fixedly located cars '90. Theears 90 support a pivotal lever 92 through the medium of a pin 94.Integral with the lever 92 is a lobe 96 capable of bearing against theundp ide of the arm 89. The lever 92 is resiliently biased by a leafspring 98 in a direction to cause the lobe 96 to assume a non-cammingposition. In this way the shoe 82 gravitationally falls away from theshell 28 with the consequence that no braking action is applied by thelining 84.

Having in mind the operation presented in conjunction with FIGURE 4, theuse of our holding device B should be readily apparent. After removal ofthe collar 42 from the apparatus A as it appears in FIGURE 1, the sleeve10 of the apparatus A is inserted in the sleeve 76 of the device B.Then, with the collar 78 in place as shown in FIGURE 5, the coupling 62can be threaded into the sleeve 10. The sleeve 76 (FIGURE 5) takes theplace of the sleeve 64 (FIGURE 4).

Although other drives are possible, we have in FIGURE 4 pictured aflexible shaft or cable 60 which we will now assume is rotated to causerotation of the entire apparatus A. The wire ends 72c and 72d can beinserted just as previously described.

With the wire ends 720 and 72d disposed between the gripping faces 22 ofthe jaws 20, the operator then squeezes the lever 92 in trigger-likefashion. Such action cams the lobe 96 against the arm 89 to raise thebrake shoe 82. Raising of the brake shoe 82 obviously effects engagementof the lining 84 with the shell 28 or whatever materialcircumferentially overlies this shell.

Until the lever 92 is actuated, it will be understood that the jawmembers 20 remain in their separated condition (see FIGURE 3). Notwisting of the wire ends 720 and 72d occurs until the jaws are pivotedinto closed position (see FIGURE 2), which happens when the lever 92 issqueezed in the direction of the handle 74, as above explained. Also,release of the lever 92 efiects a con comitant release of the wire ends72c and 72d, just as previously described, the only real differencebeing that in this instance the brake shoe 82 is used instead of theoperator's hand.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a jaw control mechanism of slightly modifiedconstruction, wherein the shell or head 28 is enclosed within a handcompressible member, generally designated by the reference character101. This member, as clearly shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, comprises acylindrical skirt 102 bored to normally loosely fit over the shell orhead 28; whereby the head 28 may normally freely rotate therein, whengrasping the cylindrical member 101 in the hand. Hember 101 has a rearend wall 103 axially bored to slidably fit onto the elongated sleeve 10of the twister body. Member 101 may be retained on sleeve 10 by suchmeans as a collar 104, suitably fixed to sleeve 10, as by a pin, notshown.

To render the member 101 readily comprmsible by the operators hand, itscylindrical skirt .102 is circumferentially slitted at equi-spacedintervals around its cir cumference, as best indicated at 105 in FIGURE8. To obtain the most eflicient frictional contact between member 28 andskirt 102 to assure proper functioning of the jaw members 20, thecircumferential member 101 is preferably constructed of a suitablenon-metallic material such as hard maple, plastic, etc.; although it maybe constructed of other materials applicable for the purpose, ifdesired.

When the friction member 101 is utilized, the parts 82, 84 and 89 are,of course, dispensed with. The jaw members 20 are then actuated bymanually compressing the slitted skirt 102 of the member 101 by theoperators hand sufliciently to cause it to frictionally engage theperiphery of the shell or member 28 to decrease the speed of saidmember, whereupon the jaws 20 are actuated to grip the wire terminals,as hereinbefore described.

In addition to serving as a means for retarding rotation of the head orshell 28, when causing the jaws 29 to function, the member 101 alsoprotects the operators hand against callouses, or heat burns caused bythe member 28 rapidly rotating in the operators hand when member 101 isnot used.

It is to be understood that changes may be effected in details ofconstruction, arrangement, operation and choice of materials withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in theappended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A wire twister comprising a first rotatable member having a radiallydirected flange at one end, a pair of cooperating jaw members pivotallyattached to one face of said flange, a second rotatable member having aradiaJly directed flange, a pair of cam elements fixed to one face ofsaid second flange and positioned to engage portions of said jaw membersto urge them into wire gripping positions when said rotatable membersare rotated relative to one another, and spring means connected to saidfirst and second rotatable members and normally biasing said secondrotatable member into a position to cause said cam elements to urge saidjaws into wire-releasing positions.

2. A wire twister comprising a sleeve having one end adapted forconnection to a source of rotative power and having an outwardlydirected radial flange at its other end, a pair of cooperable jawmembers each having one end pivoted to said flange and having oppositefree ends, a cylindrical shell encircling said outwardly directed flangeand having an inwardly directed flange at one end, a pair ofdiametrically opposed cam elements secured to said inwardly directedflange and positioned to engage the free ends of said jaw members whensaid sleeve and shell are rotated relative to one another, and springmeans connected to said sleeve and said shell and normally biasing saidshell into a position to cause said cam. elements to engage and urgesaid jaws into wire releasing positions.

3. A wire twister in accordance with claim 2 including a circular coverplate aiiixed to the opposite end of said shell, said sleeve projectingthrough said cover plate.

4. A wire twister in accordance with claim 2 in which said spring isdisposed between said cover plate and said outwardly directed flange.

5. A wire twister in accordance with claim 4 including a guide elementhaving a tapered bore for directing a plurality of wire ends intoposition between said jaw member.

6. A wire twister in accordance with claim 4 including a holding devicecomprising a handle having a bearing sleeve atfixed to its upper end inwhich the said first sleeve is journaled for rotation, an arm pivotallymounted on said handle and carrying a brake shoe at its free end, and alever also pivotally mounted to said handle having a cam portionengageable with said arm to urge said arm in a direction to move saidbrake shoe into braking en gagement with said cylindrical shell.

7. A wire twister comprising a first support means having a pair ofco-acting jaws pivoted thereto for movement relative to each other,means for driving said support means, a second support means havingspaced cam elements secured thereto for engaging and moving said jawsinto wire gripping positions by relative rotary movement between saidfirst and second support means, resilient means connecting first andsecond support means and normally urging said second support means in adirection to cause said cam elements to engage and open said jaws, andmeans whereby a braking force may be applied to said second supportmeans to momentarily retard rotation thereof relative said first supportmeans, thereby to cause said cam elements to engage and move said jawsinto wire gripping positions.

8. A wire twister according to claim 7, wherein the outer member isprovided at one end with an enlarged guide opening through which aplurality of wire strands may be inserted into said jaws.

9. A wire twister comprising a tubular member having an enlarged radialflange at one end concentric with the axis of said tubular member, meansfor coupling the opposite end of said tubular member to a source ofpower, a pair of jaws pivoted to said flange in diametrically opposedrelation, a cylindrical housing fitting over and enclosing said flangeand jaws, a pair of cam elements secured to said housing interiorlythereof and aligned with said jaws, spring means operatively connectingsaid tubular member to said housing and normally retaining said housingin a position to cause said cam elements to engage and open said jaws,and means whereby when a braking force is applied to said housing tomomentarily retard rotation thereof relative to said tubular member,said cam elements are actuated to engage and move said jaws intowire-gripping positions, said spring means causing the housing to returnto its normal jaw-opening position when the braking force is releasedtherefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

